8419.33.10.00 - For agricultural products

This HTS classification covers lyophilization apparatus, also known as freeze-drying units, and spray dryers. These specialized machines are designed for the dehydration of materials through processes involving a change in temperature, specifically by freezing the material and then sublimating the ice under vacuum (lyophilization) or by atomizing a liquid solution into a hot drying medium (spray drying). Applications for these machines are found across various industries, including pharmaceuticals, food processing, biotechnology, and chemical manufacturing, for preserving sensitive products, creating powders, and encapsulating substances.

The distinction between this category and its sibling, 8419.33.50.00 (Other), lies in the specific drying technology employed. While this category is exclusively for lyophilization and spray drying equipment, the "Other" category would encompass drying machinery not meeting the specific technological definitions of lyophilization or spray drying, such as rotary dryers or fluid bed dryers. Therefore, classification hinges on the precise method of material dehydration.

As this is a leaf node in the HTS structure, there are no further subcategories. The classification is finalized at this level based on the identification of the equipment as either a lyophilization apparatus or a spray dryer, and its intended use in material treatment through temperature-induced processes, as detailed within the broader scope of heading 8419.